Scammers Are Targeting Vancouver's Summer Soccer Surge: liv.rent Launches Verified Short-Term Rental Licence Visibility

With international fans racing to secure stays during one of the largest sporting events hosted in Canada, liv.rent’s new feature helps renters identify City of Vancouver-licensed short-term rentals before sending a deposit

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This summer, Vancouver is co-hosting one of the largest sporting events in history, bringing an unprecedented wave of international visitors to the city. As fans race to secure accommodation, many are searching outside official hotel channels — and fraudulent listings are already waiting for them.

To help renters book with more confidence, liv.rent has launched verified short-term rental licence visibility for City of Vancouver listings. The feature checks whether a landlord-provided short-term rental licence number is registered with the City of Vancouver, then displays a verified licence badge directly on qualifying listings.

The demand is real. So is the risk.

A report by Deloitte, commissioned by Airbnb, projects a shortfall of approximately 70,000 room-nights in Metro Vancouver across match days alone, with total accommodation capacity estimated at around 41,800 units for the City of Vancouver. With Vancouver hosts expected to earn an average of $4,200 during tournament games, more short-term listings may enter the market. This gives renters more options, but also creates a high pressure booking environment where fraud can accelerate and verification matters even more.

When urgency becomes a vulnerability

The pressure to book quickly in a supply-constrained market makes renters more likely to skip the verification steps that would otherwise protect them, which is precisely what scammers are counting on.

Cybersecurity researchers at Group-IB identified more than 4,300 fraudulent domains impersonating the tournament’s official web presence in the months leading up to kickoff. Much of the infrastructure for this summer’s scams was built before the first match was played.

International visitors unfamiliar with Canadian rental norms may be especially vulnerable. The RCMP, Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and Vancouver Police Department have all warned about fake short-term rental listings targeting travellers to Vancouver. These scams often collect deposits for properties that do not exist, or that the poster has no right to rent.

Common tactics include cloned booking portals, listings using real building addresses with stolen photos, and operators running multiple fraudulent listings across platforms such as Facebook and Kijiji. Generative AI has made these scams harder to detect, allowing fraudsters to create fake listings, booking confirmations, and landlord personas at scale.

In a supply-constrained market, the pressure to book quickly can make renters more likely to skip verification steps, which is exactly what scammers are counting on.

Verified licence visibility: a clearer signal before renters book

liv.rent's new verified short-term rental licence visibility feature gives renters a concrete, checkable signal before they book. When a landlord adds a short-term rental licence number to a City of Vancouver listing, liv.rent cross-references it against the City of Vancouver's open data portal in real time. If the licence is registered and current, a verified licence badge appears directly on the listing, confirming that the number is valid and active.

The feature gives renters:

• A verified licence badge confirming the listing's short-term rental licence is registered with the City of Vancouver and currently valid
• Licence status displayed directly on the listing, without requiring renters to search municipal records separately
  
  

A new way for Vancouver landlords to stand out

Vancouver landlords with a valid short-term rental licence can add their licence number through their liv.rent account. Once verified, the listing displays the badge, signalling to prospective guests that it meets the city's short-term rental requirements.

liv.rent is rolling out the feature across Vancouver listings as landlords add their information, with badges appearing on qualifying listings as they go live. At a time when renters are more cautious than usual, that trust signal can help legitimate listings stand out.

"Finding a rental in an unfamiliar city is stressful enough without having to wonder if the listing is even real," says Matisse Yiu, Head of Marketing at liv.rent. "That's the gap this feature is built to close. A verified licence badge gives renters something real to check before they hand over a deposit to someone they've never met."

Renters searching for short-term stays in Vancouver can browse listings at liv.rent/rental-listings/city/vancouver.

About liv.rent

Based in Vancouver and available across Canada and the United States, liv.rent is North America's safest rental platform, connecting renters and landlords through a reliable, more transparent way to rent. Since launching in 2018, liv.rent has built its reputation on a verification-first approach, with identity authentication and listing validation built into every step of the process, from inquiry to lease.

liv.rent's layered verification infrastructure sets a higher standard for trust in a rental market where fraud is increasingly sophisticated. The platform's dedicated Rental Scams Resource Hub offers renters first-hand fraud reports, guidance on common scam types, and practical tools for staying safe throughout their housing search.

Matisse Yiu
Head of Marketing
liv.rent
media@liv.rent

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